


We Are The Magic

by Barnil (Jus)



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Beings, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Get Together, M/M, the circus is still a thing for the Bartons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 04:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8782993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jus/pseuds/Barnil
Summary: When Phil joins the circus, well. Let's say that a domestic shapeshifter will nag at Barney's life. In a good way, rest assured.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe this hadn't made it here yet -it's been gathering dust in my documents for a few months.  
> Sigh. I will never learn.
> 
> Okay, enjoy!

Barney never said his life was bad. He liked it okay, once they had left that damn house. The circus was just fine. Most of the carnies were magical beings, just like them. No one ever hit them like their dad had, not for a few sparks and flying around. No one just looked at them with all the pain of the world in their eyes like their mom had; not without trying to do something about it. Here people fought back. Their mom had always only turned her face around, never stopping until Clint was asking about the colour of her eyes.  
Plus they could sharpen their gifts regularly here, in mostly plain sight, safely looked upon by elders. Clint had blossomed as of late, truly blossomed. His tricks had gotten way better; he could fly higher and for longer. Barney on his part had been able to work on his flickers of fire more precisely. He didn’t feel it constantly licking at his fingertips anymore; it was more of a tame, homely hearth now. His power used to be a hot tornado soaring up at any inconvenience he encountered, fuelling his hatred and fuelling the constant feud in their family. Now it could grow way hotter, and shoot from his hands, too; but Barney had never directed it on another being since they had joined the circus. He could feel his soul radar extend every day, picking up the way the forests were naturally mapped, the quick heartbeats of small animals. The difference between species came more naturally now, too. Clint was still too young to understand those, but he got it, somehow. He trusted other magics more than he trusted humans.

Barney was making little figurines in flames to play with, focused solely on the little foxes jumping around his fingers. Controlling his power gave him so much confidence, he found. It was hard work, and tiring, but highly satisfying. Nothing could be further away from his mind than checking for people around him when he worked on this, so he was a bit surprised when Clint barreled into his visual field, childish joy written all over his face.

“Look, Barney! I’ve found a little dog all alone near the park!”  
“Really, Clint? The carnies have plenty o’ dogs, you didn’t have to pick one more up!”  
“But it’s really nice… And it looked at me all sad an’ everything. I think it’s special, Barney.”

Clint was definitely holding something in his arms, protecting his cargo under his old coat. The boy laughed as the pup yapped and wiggled to put its head through the opening. Barney frowned a bit. The signatures of the two beings in front of him were all mixed, and he was still focusing on his figurines. He let them fade in the air, targeting the small dog.

“Does it have a collar?”  
“Huh, no, duh. I wouldn’t have picked it up, otherwise. I’m not dumb!”  
“Okay. Can I have it, please?”

Clint shrugged and held the dog to his older brother. It – he, he found out after a quick glance – had a friendly behavior and dusty brownish fur, wavy and soft; as well as very intelligent eyes of an unusual grey for its kind. He was a fancy dog indeed, and probably had a pedigree or something of the like. And then it hit Barney like a train – this was no common dog. It showed in the quiet way he looked at him, head only slightly tilted and never letting his tongue hang out. Of course, the signature was a stronger indicator.

“Well, Clint, it seemed you picked up a rather fancy shapeshifter.”  
“Oh, did I ?” His little brother seemed exceedingly curious before apologizing to the being, still on Barney's lap and not moving an ear. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”  
“You can show yourself, you know. It’s safe,” Barney thought it was easier to demonstrate by letting little flames flicker out of his fingers. With his other hand, he petted to little pup’s head. “We’re witches, Clint and I.”

Barney didn’t really know how, but soon he had a lap full of boy instead of having it full of dog. He was stark naked, looking up at him with keen interest. Behind them, Clint’s mouth was forming a neat ‘o’, and he looked at his body curiously – as a little boy is always curious by nature, probably comparing it with his own. Barney himself was rather uncomfortable, and he could tell his face was a deep red. The boy leaned in to listen to his heart, before tilting his head again.

“Why is your heart so fast, fire witch?”  
“’m Barney. It’s not that fast,” he argued back. “You just startled me.”  
“My name’s Phillip,” said the boy in return, unfolding his frame from Barney’s lap to stand up, looking around – probably for clothes. He was between Clint’s and his age, Barney guessed. He was tall enough, but hadn’t started his growth spurt like himself.  
“You can have my jumper!” Peeped up Clint. “And Barney has old jeans that should suit you.”  
“Thanks…”

He grabbed for the blanket on the couch of their room, covering himself with it even if it had holes in it. Barney felt suddenly better that he was covered. Clint said something that he didn’t listen to, and the boy, Phillip, laughed. He barked shortly at the end, reddening from it. Clint kissed his cheek. It seemed that he was adopted from that moment. In time, the three of them would be inseparable.

* * *

 

Carnies never asked kids were they came from. Phillip had looked scared enough in the following days of his arrival, until they moved towns. Then he was less worried, far less worried. He helped around, because Clint and Barney got in trouble for bringing him in. He did a lot of things to help, and soon enough everyone liked the sound of his voice and his friendly chatter. He was very easy to be friends with, a gentle person and an even gentler shifter. In a small voice, he told them he was a domestic one: he couldn’t go wild like some wild shifters did sometimes. Clint adored him. They played together all the time, Barney never far away keeping an eye on them. He loved his fireballs, and squealed with joy when he flew with Clint. Soon enough, he took part in the show. He could trick humans into thinking he was a dog doing tricks. When the director, a seasoned witch, sensed magical presence in the audience, he would pull the number off.

He finished growing up with them all. He was so good at school, he even helped Barney with his homework. Phil seemed to gain in power and beauty with time. He became a happy, chipper person and no one was prettier than he was. At least, that was Barney’s opinion. He knew Clint liked the little undead Russian girl too much to agree with him.  
He didn’t think that his life would get much better after running away from their crazy dad, but it totally did. All it took was a pretty pair of grey eyes, and a laugh that sometimes sounded like a bark. He didn’t realize it quickly, but Phil was also alike a dog in his temperament. He stood up for Clint and stuck to him, and had the cuddle easy, and the pride always boosted by a few encouragements or compliments. He indulged him in every little quirk that he had; sleeping on the couch curled in a ball, eating raw meat from time to time, always cracking the bones and sucking the marrow, and countless other ones. They tended to manifest themselves more after a shifting into his animal form, but from time to time, they’d find him on the couch, napping and legs kicking; and even days after his last change.  
He had the bad habit to slip into Barney’s bed at night. At first the older of them would wake up panicked, completely panicked that a boy curled up to him, in the middle of the night. For a teenage boy, it was a dream and a nightmare at the same time. Not that he was afraid or ashamed of liking boys as well as girls. He knew some people outside got hurt because of it, but that wasn’t the way of the circus. But soon enough, he got used to it. You’d never think that from a fire witch, but he actually liked the extra warmth. He quickly went ice cold when he didn’t use his powers for long, so nights could get chilly. As time passed, Phil came by every three days, every two days, and then every night he was in his bed at an ungodly hour, but always there in the morning. Barney loved his life.

* * *

 

Barney offered him a collar for his fifteen birthday. He always put on those crappy plastic chokers like the girls they saw around, put they didn’t have enough money to buy nice ones. The chokers kept breaking, and got tangled in his fur all the time. So Barney saved up. He got Phillip a red leather collar, supple but thick enough to be resistant, and with a small medal engraved with “Phil”. He loved it instantly, and asked Barney to fasten it on the spot. It felt strangely intimate, his sixth sense was telling him, like some sort of strong bonding. Phil didn’t seem to share that feeling, but for the rest of week, he would flaunt the gift all around the camp. It amused Barney, to see him in his usual attire –white wide t-shirt, too-long high-waisted jeans he rolled up and that jersey jacket from that one family a few cities over, the shapeshifters who had liked Phil on the spot– but with the collar as a bright addition. Phil asked for a neat haircut; not that his hair was particularly long, but so people could see his neck better, see his collar. Of course, humans only thought he put a little too much intent in his outfit. Magics would smile at him.

It was only when they finally moved out of the city they were in for the winter, and got back on the road in the countryside when it got a bit warmer, that they stumbled upon a family of domestic shapeshifters. Phillip, always short of people of his kind, obviously started talking with them. The kids looked really intrigued by the collar, the parents shocked. None of them sported one, and after a few moments of talking, Phil shut down into his dog form to go to Barney immediately. The witch had seen the exchange from afar, and hoped it wasn’t too bad. Phil as a dog hadn’t grown much, but he was heavier, healthier. He hid him under Barney’s jacket, just like with Clint when he had found him.

“You put that collar on him, young man?” Barney stopped in his tracks, turning around and making his way to them. “On the little pupper?”  
“It was a gift. He asked me to put it on.”  
“That’s trespassing his intimacy, witch!” The mother shook a finger under his nose. “You’re basically saying he’s your property; the kid’s not a real dog!”  
“I didn’t know, ma’am. I’ll get it off him.” Barney hanged his head, seemingly sorry. “You see, we travel a lot. He ran away from his parents, he’s never had proper shapeshifter education. I’ll tell him, no collars.”  
“Well…” started one of the twin girls.  
“Janice, keep quiet!”  
“If it’s put on voluntarily, it’s not as much of a subduction of will, you said it yourself!” exclaimed the other child. Against his chest, Barney could feel Phil moving around.  
“He’s a witch, darling, can’t you feel it?” the father said. “It’s not against you, young man, but your kind has often subjugated ours. No proper raven, owl, cat or toad shifter would stuck to their animal form and sometimes talk just because we’re your friends.”  
“And he’s a fire witch, too. The unstable ones.” The mother sneered as she said that, and Phil tried to pull her head out of his jacket as he started barking. Barney had had enough.  
“Kindly go fuck yourself,” he said loud enough over the sharp barks of his friend.

That night, Phil slept on the couch.  
It took them a few days, maybe a few weeks, to talk about the collar situation. Barney didn’t want Phil to feel uncomfortable, but if the matter was really that important, he’d come to him naturally.  The boy did come in the end, as he was writing a paper for the travelling teacher. As usual, he crowded him by getting on his lap, something Barney had gotten used to.

“Please never get the collar off,” he said softly. Barney choked on nothing.  
“But… Isn’t it, like, super bad or something?”  
“I got it on my own accord. I’m not afraid of you subjugating me.”  
“No? Not even a bit?”  
“I trust you. Plus, a witch with a dog, it sounds a bit stupid.”

Barney laughed at that, and Phil started laughing too. He was so close, Barney could feel his little shapeshifting heart beat against his. When they kissed, it was barely a brush of lips. Barney could feel his too-long lashes against his own skin when he came back for more, and circled Phil’s frame with his arms.

“I like the idea of you and me,” the shapeshifter added with a soft whine, as Barney petted his hair down.  
“Yeah, me too. Me too.”

They’re warm and safe and no one owns anyone.  
Barney adored his life.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, the little numbers going up are always a great thing to see!


End file.
